Plastic and coating composition



Patented June 30, 1 936 UNITED ST PLASTIC AND COATING COMPOSITION John William Groom Crawford, Ardrossan, Scotland, assignor to Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, a corporation of Great Britain No Drawing. Application September 19, 1934, Serial No. 744,674. In Great Britain September 3 Claims.

This invention relates to plastic and coating compositions and, more particularly, relates to such compositions comprising a polymerized lower alkyl ester of alpha methacrylic acid and a plasticizer therefor, and to the process of preparing such compositions.

The polymerized lower alkyl esters of alpha methacrylic acid, such as polymerized methyl alpha methacrylate and ethyl alpha methacrylate, are suitable for use in coating and plastic compositions and for some purposes do not require modifying agents. For many purposes, however, it is highly advantageous to use these substances in combination with a plasticizer, i. e., a substance of negligibly low volatility and which dissolves, or is dissolved by the polymerized compound, to render the composition less brittle and more supple than it otherwise would be.

An object of the present invention is to provide new and useful plasticizercompositions containing these polymerized methacrylates. A further object is to provide such compositions wherein the plasticizer may be used in varying amounts to obtain diiferent degrees of suppleness, and the like. A further object is to provide such a composition which will be substantially unaffected overlong periods of time, that is, will not become brittle on ageing. A still further object is to pro- Vide a process of preparing such compositions.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description given hereinafter.

The above objects are accomplished according to the present invention by incorporation with a lower alkyl ester of alpha methacrylic acid, either before or after polymerization, an open chain monohydric alcohol containing from 9-22 carbon atoms, inclusive, as a plasticizer therefor.

It has been found that the alcohols of the class given above are compatible with the polymerized methacrylates, at least to a degree sufiicient for the amount of plasticizer that it would ordinarily be desirable to employ, and are practically nonvolatile at ordinary atmospheric pressures and temperatures.

In carrying out the invention the plasticizer may be incorporated with the polymerized lower ,alkyl ester of alpha methacrylic acid by kneading, rolling, or working the materials together in the absence of volatile solvents at a temperature considerably above atmospheric temperature, on

heated rolls, or other means such as would occur to those skilled in the art. Alternatively, the

materials may be incorporated with the aid of a quantity of a mutual volatile solvent in relatively large or small proportions as may be expedient for the nature of the composition and the use to which it is to be put. For example, if it is desired to form a lacquer or coating composi-'- tion, the ingredients may be incorporated in the presence of a considerable proportion of the volatile solvents which are to be used in the lacquer, while if the object is to prepare a substantially solid plastic composition, the ingredients would be Worked together with or without a small proportion of volatile solvent, on hot rolls. The W plasticizer may be incorporated with the polymerized methacrylate according to other methods such as are practiced in the plastics and coating; arts. v

The invention may also be carried out by thor-- 11?; oughly mixing the plasticizer with the monomeric form of the lower alkyl ester of methacrylic acid; and subsequently polymerizing the mixture.

Inorder to illustrate the invention, the fol-- lowing examples are given, parts being by 23; Weight:-

Example 1.,-Ten parts of cetyl alcohol are. mixed into parts of monomeric methyl alpha. methacrylate. 0.5 parts of benzoyl peroxide, as:

a polymerization accelerator, are dissolved in the 25; mixture which is then warmed at 80 C. until polymerization is complete. The transparent; mass of plastic material obtained is rolled into, sheets on rolls at -160 C. The sheets thus: obtained may be comminuted to a granular powder which is suitable for use in molding transparent articles. The molded composition will soften at a lower temperature than unplasticized polymerized alpha methyl methacrylate and likewise possesses a greater degree of suppleness.

Example 2.Five parts of cetyl alcohol are incorporated into 95 parts of ethyl alpha methacrylate polymer by working on hot rolls at about C. The resulting sheet is comminuted to give a granular powder suitable for use in molding operations.

Example 3.-Fifteen parts of geranyl alcohol are dissolved in 85 parts of monomeric methyl alpha methacrylate. 0.4 grams of benzoyl per- 45 oxide, as a polymerization accelerator, are added and the mixture is then polymerized by warming. The product thus obtained may be dissolved in appropriate solvents to form a lacquer.

It is to be understood that the above examples 5 are merely illustrative and that the invention broadly comprises a composition of a polymerized lower alkyl ester of alpha methacrylic acid and, as a, plasticizer therefor, an open chain monohydric alcohol containing from 9-22 carbon 55- ticizer be mixed with the monomeric compound;

or incorporated ,in, the, polymer.

The open chain monohydric alcohols containing from 9-22 carbon atoms, inclusive, include the straight and branched saturated and unsaturated alcohols. Particularly sluitable"alcoliols coming within this genericclass of alcohols are nonyl, decyl, lauryl (dodecyl), myristyl, cetyl, margaryl, stearyl, arachinyl, and doc'osyl. alcohols as saturated alcohols; andgeranyl, citronellyl, oleyl, and erucyl alcohols as unsaturated alcohols. All of the alcohols within this class are practically non-volatile at ordinary atmospheric temperature and pressure, have melting points not "in excess, of C. sothat they are readily-incorporated in plastics, and are compatible with the polymerized alkyl esters of methacrylic acid toa degree sufficient to permit the incorporation of the amount of plasticizer ordinarily desirable.

The proportion of these plasticizers to be inoorporated with the polymerized compound will depend, ofcourse, to a large extent onthe properties desired in the resulting composition. The

compatibility of the various alcohols herein considered with the different polymerized methacrylates varies but is suiilcient in each instance so that the desired amount of plasticizer may be added unless in some particular cases an exception ally large amount of oneof the alcohols having relatively lower compatibility, is to be used. The amount of plasticizer per parts of polymerized compound may be varied from less than 5 parts upwards to over 100 parts, depending on the compatibility of the particular alcohol and polymerized compound and the properties desired in 'the resulting composition. Obviously, these alcohols maybe replaced in'part with other plasticizers" and the whole range of additionalingredients," such asarej familiarto those skilledin the'coating and plastics arts, may be added to the composition.

The compositions of the present invention may be used generally in the plastics and coating arts, as will be appreciated by those skilled in these arts. All variations of lacquers, coating compositions, dopes, and the like, may be prepared. In the plastics art, molding compositions may be prepared, as well as various compositions which are to be cast, and the like. All variety of articles made from cellulose derivatives and synthetic resin plastics may be made from these compositions, includinginterlayer sheets for safety glass, turneryarticles, dental plates, and the like.

An advantage of the present invention is that it provides polymerized lower alkyl alpha methacrylatejcompositions having a greater degree of plasticity than, such compositions would have in the absenceof plasticizers. A further advantage is that these compositions retain their properties substantially.permanentlyand are not subject to change suchas becoming brittle on ageing. A further advantage of the present. invention. is

that. this class ofplastioizers may be readily ,in-

corporated with the, polymerized compound or incorporated with the monomeric compound prior to polymerization thereof.

As many apparentlywidely different embodie ments of this inventionymay be made without de; partingfrom the spiritand scope thereof, it ,is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

I-claim:

1. A composition comprising polymerized methyl alpha methacrylateand, as a plasticizer therefor, cetyl. alcohol.

2. A composition comprising v polymerized methyl ,alpha, methacrylate and, as a plasticizer er ie eran l l e l comi es i s m r in o m ri d methyl. alpha methacrylate and, as a plasticizer,

therefor a straight chain; saturated monohydric.

alco o1; from the, group consisting of. cet l and; serapyl alcoh s R'AW RD-l 

